Teens surveyed in the study gave excuses like they don't drive too far or that seat belts are uncomfortable for why they are not always buckling up. The study also found those who said they did not use a seat belt were also more likely to text while driving.

A Norwalk family launched a program six years ago encouraging teens to wear seat belts. In 2008, 17-year-old Cassie Geary died when she crashed into a tree while driving 30 mph in Darien. Her father Tom Geary says a police officer told him that his daughter would have lived if she was wearing a seat belt.